PARLIAMENTARY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIL, Issue 7397, 27 July 1895, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

(From Our Special Reporter.) Wellington, last night. Both Houses passed an imprest Supply Bill for £302,G00 through all its stages. Mr O'Regan and several other members of the House cabled hearty congratulations to Mr Reid on the Freetrade victory in New South Wales. CRIMINAL CODE BILL. The Legislative Council again refused to ; raise the age of consent to 16. The Government Bill, which has passed the Lower House, contained a provision to that effect, but the Lords by 16 to 8 made the age 15 as at present. The clause providing that prosecutions may commence within two months, instead of one month, was struck out by 20 votes to 4." The third reading was fixed for Tuesday. DIVORCE BILL. The Divorce Bill was again under review in committee of the Council yesterday. • A proposal by the Hon. Mr Reynolds to make incurable insanity at the time of presentation of the petition, and for three years previous, a ground of divorce, was negatived on the voices. A further amendment by Hon. Mr Rigg making a lengthy term of imprisonment a ground of divorce was likewise rejected, and the Bill was reported and the third reading fixed for Wednesday. WITHHOLDING INFORMATION. Several times this session the Opposition have raißed their voice against the withholding of information, required by law to be furnished to Parliament, by the Government, and this afternoon these complaints were again revived, and the whole sitting taken up in discussion of them. It was on the motion to go into committee to pass fcbe Imprest Supply Bill, that; the question was raised by Mr Mitchelson, who asked for the reason why the abstract of revenue and iexpendit'ure, required by the Public Revenues Act to be published and laid on the table of the House was being kept back. This return was most important to enable members to grasp the financial position of the colony, and to be in a position to criticise the financial statement. Several others followed with queries about other returns required by law to be furnished and the non-supply of which, it was contended, not only prevented members from doing their duty to their constituents by keeping a check on administration, but was a deliberate violation of the law. The position as regards the abstract of revenue and expenditure was clearly put by Mr Button, who pointed out that the Public Revenues Act provided that within 30 days from the end of the financial year such return shall be prepared and sent to the audit officer, and on being certified to, shall "forthwith" be gazetted and laid Before Parliament. Three weeks ago the Premier had admitted that the return had been passed by the Audit department, and therefore the keeping of it back was a distinct breach of the law. The Treasurer, in his reply to these questions, seemed to treat the matter as of little consequence, and promised that the returns would accompany the Financial Statement, but Mb remarks were regarded of such a flippant nature, that Mr Mitchelson said he would have himself to thank if the Imprest Supply was delayed, and thereupon the discussion was renewed with vigor, and lasted all afternoon. The Premier made his usual lengthy speech, affecting to treat the subject as a joke. He admitted the breach of the law by enquiring, has any injury arisen,? and the Treasurer also took the weak stand of pleadine that other Governments had done the same. He quoted from Blue Books to show that in some previous years the accounts had not been laid before Parliament until after the Financial Statement had been delivered. Sir Robert Stout, however, cut the ground from under his feet,, by showing that in the years quoted, when the Stout-Vogel Government held office, the returns, though not laid on the table of the House had been published in the Gazette, and placed in the hands of members several days before the delivery of the budget. They had never been furnished later than May, and now ie was the 26th of July. He challenged the Treasurer to prova there was any Ministry, from the foundation of the colony, which gave information to the public as readily as they did. The Premier followed with the miserable argument that "What was the reward of the hon. member for giving such information ? For all this virtue he was deposed." More similar discussion, took place, uutil finally the matter fizzled out at 5.30. As Mr G. J. Smith truly remarked, everybody is getting disgusted with this sort of business. THE AJJDn! OFFICE. The Audit Department came under the heel of the Minister of Lands in the House this afternoon, that gentleman making a savage attack upon thiß important branch of the public service. He commenced by saying that the Auditor-General was a determined partizan, to support which statement he said that the Auditor, without consulting him, the Minister responsible, had endorsed a return which was some days overdue, to Bhowthafc the law had not been complied with. He went on to say that by some means the members of the Opposition were able to get information from departmental officers, and working himself into a white heat, declared at the top of his voice that the Government were aurrounded by men in that building whom they . could not trust. This aspersion on the Civil Service was at once taken up, and furnished matter for a heated discussion. Sir R. Stout declared that it waß not right that civil servants should have such charges hurled at them, and the Minister should formulate his charges and have an inveßtigation held. Mr McKenzie said he could not withdraw one wprd f The questions the Oppositionists had put on the Order Paper .showed they must have obtained information from the officers of the departments. Asked to state the particular questions, the Minister did not deign to reply, but went on to say that the Audit Department was chiefly to blame. The Auditor-General, he said, had a personal " down " ,on him, and because be had endeavored to show he was not capable of performing the duties of his office, had written a letter about him which no gentleman should write, He (Mr -MeKepsi*) bad passed that letter by aB the - ; -'linga pjf an old man. r Th?ChJ <t>m ' ft . n ™ M ab thL3 cx P reflSlon must' be withdrawn. '/•.. sald that he The Minister, continuity » M(iit p eparti . could tell things about that Au - -and ment that would astonish the House James Edward Fitzgerald, and passionately declared in so doing that the name of John McKenzie would go as far as that of James Edward Fitzgerald. Mr Bell rose to defend the AuditorGeneral, stating that no man^n the colony held a higher political and social record than that gentleman, of whom the colony miierht well be proud. He pointed out the high responsibility of the Auditor-General's office,' and said he was the only safeguard given to the House and the country in the control of public expenditure. It was only just that the charges levelled against that department should be put to the proof. Sir R. Stout also bore testimony to the worth of the officer attacked, saying that when they were all forgotton the AuditorGeneral would bo written of by future historians as the greatest man that ever sat in the House of Representatives. He was a man of the highest honor in the public set vice. The charge raised against the Civil Service by his colleague was ao grave, that the Premier, to modify it, made an explanation that he had the greatest confidence in the Civil Service, but there were a few exceptions, and as for Mr Fitzgerald, he was not such a high minded and noble soul as had been depicted. Wellington, to-day. The Wilson Land Bill, which empowers Mr Wilson to dispose of a grant of land made to him in consequence- of, his father's services at the time of.ihe Poverty Bay massacre, haß passed its second reading. The House refused the second reading of MrG. "W* R.uaaeU'B Periodical Revaluation Bill by 35 to 21 votes. Mr Bell's Cremation Bill passed the final stage. The Employers' Private Benefit Society Bill passed its final stages in the House last night. ■

Serious bush fires were raging in the Uralla district (N.S.W.) last week, a large area of grass and fencing being burnt.

Another remarkable discovery in disease is reported from America. The disease called "lump jaw" has hitherto proved one of the most unpreventable of cattle, and even of human complaints. A minute fungus, the Actinomyces, haß been believed to cause it, and through this vegetable germ it passes to man. But where the fungus comes from is a question less easily settled.. Dr Dixon has now produced proofs that the Actinomyces is identical with the white fungus growing on dark decaying wood, a.nd well known to botanists as JEyeriba Candida. If so, cattle breeders may be enabled in some degree to prevent the ravages of this much dreaded disease. Referring to the recommendation of the Lincoln College Special Committee that steps should be takon to ascertain " the best method of getting the maximum of feed from turnips," the Weekly Press says : — This is a question of great importance, and it is one of general application to the turnip crop, no matter what the soil may be upon which it is grown. We feel convinced that the present system of feeding on turnips is a wasteful one. When it is considered that the turnip contains from 80 to 90 per cent, of water in I its composition, and that the mass of cold water has to be heated up to blood heat in the animal's stomach, which has to be done at the expense of the animal heat, . it will be seen how great is the loss of energy, and how the process retards the operation of fattening. The substitution of a ration of oats or oat-chaff and hay, obviates this waste of power. . The value of this experiment will chiefly lie in determining the quantity which may be fed to each animal with profit, and noting the effect upon the land so treated as compared with that upon which theextraneous food was used. Such experiments, to be of any value, must be carried out most carefully, which doubtless they will be. j Every farmer knows that oat-chaff is good for fattening sheep, butevery farmer does j not know what quantity per head it will pay to feed. It will also be determined ab what price per bushel oats can with profit be fed to sheep. j